by Julian Aguilar, The Texas Tribune
January 27, 2011
The voter ID legislation passed by the Texas Senate on Wednesday night may be controversial, but it’s a familiar debate, as is the issue of “sanctuary cities.” Gov. Rick Perry has declared both to be “emergency items” that demand immediate attention by the Legislature.
Less well known but no less controversial are many of the provisions found in more than three dozen immigration-related bills filed so far in the early days of the 82nd legislative session.
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Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) outlined his support Wednesday to modify the 14th amendment. Smith joins a chorus of Republicans to eliminate the provision that gives citizenship to any person born inside the U.S.
By Terry Gildea, Texas Public Radio
Smith is among a growing number of Republicans who are in favor of modifying the 14th amendment of the Constitution and changing the provision that endows citizenship to any person born inside the U-S.
“That has been misinterpreted today,” Smith told small business leaders in Northeast San Antonio. “So that basically it’s allowing individuals who are in the country illegally to have a child and the child is automatically a citizen. That just doesn’t make any sense for any reason. We’re the only industrialized country in the world I think that doesn’t require at least one parent to be in the country legally before their child is automatically a citizen.”
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